


If you’re gay, and I’m gay… who’s continuing the royal bloodline?

by radioactive_raccoon_hidari



Series: ATLA brain rot [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Post-Canon, post-therapy azula, wlw mlm solidarity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:07:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26373187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radioactive_raccoon_hidari/pseuds/radioactive_raccoon_hidari
Summary: The Fire Nation: well someone has to produce an heir to the throneAzula and Zuko in unison: dibs not
Relationships: Azula/Mai (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: ATLA brain rot [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1916578
Comments: 20
Kudos: 509





	If you’re gay, and I’m gay… who’s continuing the royal bloodline?

Zuko and Azula are sitting across from one another on a balcony overlooking the palace gardens. A tea table laden with sweets and delicacies sits untouched between them, as they both sip at their tea. The calming quiet interspersed with the occasional quack of a turtleduck is deceptively gentle. 

Zuko fiddles with the ends of his sleeves, taking another sip of jasmine tea.

Azula’s eyebrow twitches, and she sets her cup down with a clatter. “Out with it.”

She’s gotten much better at controlling her temper after years of therapy, but patience is still not her strong suit. She taps her foot as she watches Zuko try to form a coherent sentence in his head before speaking. He’s gotten better at communicating after his own extensive therapy.

“We have a problem we need to discuss,” he says finally.

“More assassins?” Azula asks hopefully. It’s not that she enjoys threats to her brother’s life, but she’s always eager to practice her lightning bending on some live subjects.  _ Controlled lightning bending _ , she reminds herself. Less instant death and explosions, and more making dipshit assassins violently convulse and piss themselves.

“No,” Zuko answers, hesitantly. He seems to be working up his courage, although Azula doesn’t know what for; they’ve long since established that he doesn’t need to be afraid of  _ her _ anymore. 

“Did the kitchen staff start another gambling ring?” 

“It’s more of a… family matter.”   
  


Azula narrows her eyes at him. “Is there something with dad?”

“No, no,” Zuko hastily corrects her. “Nothing to do with him. It’s an us thing, really.”

“Really.”

Zuko takes a deep breath, sitting up a little straighter. “So you’ve turned 18. And I’m 21 now.”

Azula screws her face up. “This… this isn’t a sex talk, is it? Because boy do I have news for you-”

“I don’t want to hear it!” Zuko interrupts in a panic. “Literally ever. No, this is about the Council giving me a, uh, reminder that… sometime in the future, not right now necessarily, but… one of us has to… make an heir.” His face screws up as he bites out the words.

Azula looks at him evenly. “I guess now’s a good as time as any to tell you that I’m gay and dating Mai.”

Zuko sputters, his eyes widening. “Wh-But-NO, I mean, not that I’m against it, and it  _ does  _ make sense but like, I- Mai? For how long?”

Azula shrugs. “It’s been a couple years. We’re good at keeping secrets and you’ve never been the most… romantically perceptive person.”

Zuko stares down at his tea, looking lost. “But if you’re gay, and I’m gay… who’s continuing the royal bloodline?” 

“Aren’t you bisexual?” Azula asks, letting him have his little crisis. 

“Yeah, but I’m dating Sokka now and it’s going well, so other people aren’t exactly in the picture anymore,” Zuko replies, his face turning pink.

Azula laughs. “The Council would have a fit if you had a Water Tribe heir. At least I’m dating a Fire Nation citizen.”

It’s Zuko’s turn to raise an eyebrow now. “You’re literally dating my ex-girlfriend, you do not get the moral high ground here.”

Azula waves a hand at him. “I’m kidding. Obviously neither of us can make heirs, although hypothetically my kid would probably be better looking than yours.”

Zuko rolls his eyes at the comment. “Okay, so what are our options then?”

“Do you think Uncle Iroh could-”

“No.”

“You could take a consort?”

“Absolutely not.”

  
“We end the bloodline.” 

“Then what happens to the succession?”

Azula frowns, contemplating their dilemma. “Surely this has happened before at some point in history.” 

Zuko’s eyes brighten. “You’re right… then there must be some kind of precedent! I’ll check the Royal Archives and the palace library.” 

“Nerd,” Azula mumbles under her breath, going back to her tea.

Zuko sticks his tongue out at her in a way completely unbefitting for a firelord. 

____

  
  


Hours later, Sokka is searching the palace for Zuko, who’s late for dinner. It’s not uncharacteristic for him to be caught up in work or a meeting run overtime, but Sokka has checked the study, the council rooms, and even the throne room. 

“Have you seen Zuko?” Sokka asks, flagging down one of the passing palace staff.

“The firelord has been in the library all afternoon,” they answer politely. “He asked not to be disturbed.”

Sokka nods his thanks and heads to the library. Everyone in the palace already knows he’s an exception to Zuko’s ‘Do Not Disturb’ rules. He quickly makes his way past many aisles of heavy tomes and dusty scrolls, none containing a firelord, and stops in his tracks in the entryway to the reading area. 

Zuko, instead of seated at a desk or even sprawled on a couch, is lying on the floor in a pathetic puddle of red silk and piles of papers and scrolls, as if the texts themselves have bested him in combat. 

Sokka clears his throat patiently, recognizing the sight of the firelord having a dramatic breakdown over some political issue. “Uh, you good?”

“There’s no precedent,” Zuko groans without lifting his head off the floor. “Why must history be dominated by the heterosexuals?” 

Sokka sits down cross-legged beside Zuko’s defeated form. “And what exactly are you searching for in gay history?”

Zuko finally rolls over to look at him. “Azula’s gay with Mai and we’re gay and uncle Iroh is  _ not  _ going to have another child, so there’s currently no future heir for the Fire Nation.”

Sokka blinks. “Now, we don’t have time to unpack all of that, but we could discuss possible means of succession together... perhaps over dinner?”

“Oh.” Zuko sits up abruptly, trying to shuffle his papers together. “What time is it?”

“Almost 8,” Sokka replies, helping Zuko with his papers. “The kitchen staff are keeping the food warm.”

“Sorry,” Zuko mumbles, getting to his feet. “I didn’t expect to be worrying about children at the ripe age of 21.” 

‘If it makes you feel any better, we’d make very pretty babies,” Sokka jokes.

“Azula said hers would be prettier,” Zuko pouts.

Sokka gasps in mock offense. “Spirits, the audacity! To even imply that their pale, knife-wielding hypothetical child could ever!” 

Zuko laughs, his stress easing as they make their way to dinner.

“You know who’d make pretty babies?” Sokka muses, stealing a dumpling from Zuko. “Suki and Ty Lee.”

Zuko almost chokes. “Are they--? _ Ty Lee!? _ ”

Sokka nods gravely, shoving food into his mouth. “M’afraid so. Suki told me herself.”

“I mean… I guess they  _ would _ make pretty babies,” Zuko admits.

“I wonder if Aang and Katara’s babies would be bald.”

“Aren’t all babies bald?”

“But like, would they stay bald? I should ask Katara.”

“Leave your poor sister and her future Water Tribe heirs alone.”

Sokka blinks a couple times. “Heirs? Oh. Oh no.”

Zuko frowns. “What?”

“We don’t do that,” Sokka explains. “Speaking of, there’s a solution to your royal gay problem. Dude, haven’t you ever heard of democracy?” 

Zuko is stunned into silence. Sokka takes the opportunity to steal another dumpling. 


End file.
